Little, red cap
by valeriebean
Summary: When Martha comes to visit, Jack asks if she can get a little, red Unit cap for Ianto. As life spins out of control for Torchwood, the thought of the little, red cap helps keep Jack going. (Takes place during Reset and Dead Man Walking.)
1. Chapter 1

It was difficult for Ianto not to be jealous of Martha. The moment she waltzed through the door, Jack got a bright smile on his face. He hugged her; he confided in her. They'd been through the end of the world together. It was like pulling teeth to get Jack to talk about it any other day, but with Martha here, he kept bringing it up casually, and Ianto could tell that Jack's swagger and bravado were more than show. With Martha, somehow his experiences didn't hurt him as much.

Ianto wished Jack had taken him along on the journey. Seeing the end of the world didn't sound fun, but meeting this Doctor had to be amazing. People at Torchwood 1 and Unit had talked about the Doctor all the time, some with delight, others with contempt. Jack thought the world of him. He'd come back from his whirlwind adventure with the Doctor more flirtatious than ever. There was an obvious pain he felt from seeing the end of the world, dying so often, and realizing his Doctor couldn't fix him, but Jack didn't like to talk about it. He wasn't as dark as before; he'd accepted this as his lot in life and moved on.

Only Jack hadn't moved on. Ianto could see it, in the moments Jack stole with Martha. Jack was overly concerned for her well-being, and he kept reaching out to see if she was in as much pain as he was. Their connection was unbreakable. Ianto shouldn't have been jealous, but he was.

Then Martha mentioned the little, red cap.

Ianto shivered. He wasn't "out" to the world, but he wasn't exactly hiding either. Everyone in Torchwood knew he was bi... except he wasn't really. It wasn't men that Ianto was attracted to. It was one man: Jack. There was no point being embarrassed by it. Especially when he saw the curiosity and intrigue in Martha's eyes. Was Martha jealous of him?

"Well, red is my colour," Ianto said. He shivered again, this time thinking about the role play he'd do with Jack while wearing a little, red cap. It was getting difficult to concentrate, and Martha was pressing him for details.

His jealousy melted, and his confidence returned. When Jack had said "I came back for you," Ianto couldn't tell if it was a line or not, but things had changed since Jack returned. Jack wanted to go on dates now, which was odd, but amazing. He didn't wait for the others to leave at night before initiating a quickie in the office. Their entire relationship was barreling forward, but Ianto didn't want to oversell it to Martha. He focused on the sex. He was confident in the quality of their sex life, and he didn't mind boasting. Jack was envied by all (and flirted with all), but he was faithful, and he was getting better at letting Ianto know that what they had together was important. Making an excuse to leave Martha, Ianto trotted upstairs, grabbed his stopwatch from his desk, and went to find Jack.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack sat at his desk, head down, doodling on a piece of paper so it'd look like he was working. Ianto watched from the doorway, quietly debating whether to interrupt. He didn't try to mask his footsteps, but as soon as he approached, Jack tensed. Ianto set the stopwatch on Jack's desk, then slid his hands down the front of Jack's shirt, letting his fingers dip into Jack's pants. This lead-in usually got a fantastically eager groan of pleasure from Jack, but today, all Ianto felt was tension ripping through Jack's torso.

Drawing his hands up, Ianto massaged Jack's shoulders lightly. "Martha mentioned a Unit cap," Ianto said.

Jack relaxed a little and picked up the stopwatch, smiling wistfully, trying to pull himself away from whatever thought had him tense and brooding. "That was supposed to be a surprise."

"I already have a red cap. I have the whole uniform," Ianto teased, working his thumbs in slow circles at the base of Jack's neck.

Jack's eyes lit with delight, and he turned to look at Ianto. "Really? How?"

"We all have our secrets," Ianto whispered, raising his brow and smiling wickedly. Ianto had infiltrated Unit briefly between his time at Torchwood 1 and here, because he needed to hide Lisa. Jack was better off not knowing.

Jack's eyes roamed up and down Ianto's body, and he licked his lips lustily. Standing up, he placed a laughing kiss on Ianto's lips. "Thank you," he whispered. He laughed and kissed Ianto again, then hugged him hard. He took a few labored breaths, then pulled out of the hug, forcing a smile, and picking up the stopwatch. "Seven minutes?" he asked.

"Not a chance," Ianto said, plucking the stopwatch from Jack's hand. There were times they'd have sex because they knew the other person needed it, or times when they both needed to forget something harrowing that had happened. There was never a time when Jack didn't want sex, but there were times when sex wasn't enough of an escape.

"Can't be too much longer," Jack murmured, tugging his ear distractedly. "Martha-we should-she-she can handle herself. She's been in worse."

"Doesn't mean you want to put her there," Ianto pointed out. Jack nodded fervently, looking out toward the hub. His stomach contracted, like he was going to heave, and Ianto pulled him into a hug.

"Rain check," Jack said, squeezing Ianto across the shoulders, rubbing his cheek against Ianto's face. "When she's driving to the Pharm. We'll have half an hour, and if I'm not doing you, I'll probably be doing something I regret."

Ianto laughed and rubbed Jack's back. "Let's get back to work, then. We want this to go smoothly."

Jack nodded and after a few more seconds, he released Ianto from the hug and kissed him deeply. A small laugh surfaced and Jack leaned his forehead against Ianto's, his fingers tracing the buttons on Ianto's shirt.

"You're picturing the uniform aren't you?" Ianto said.

"Oh, yeah," Jack grinned, his hands wandering a little.

Ianto backed away, giving Jack's hand a squeeze before turning and heading back to work. Then, he poked his head back into Jack's office, and smirked wickedly. "It's not the only uniform I have."


	3. Chapter 3

Ianto awoke in the little bed tucked in the alcove under Jack's office. The ache in his body was dull, and the ache in his chest was less so. Owen was dead... mostly. Almost. He and Jack couldn't fuck away the pain of it all, but damn it, they'd tried. The night was blurry and nearly drowned in a haze of liquor. Ianto didn't remember falling asleep.

A hand-not his own-moved across his chest, and Ianto registered the warmth and heat of a body nestled next to his. He shifted slightly, stretching his legs, feeling Jack's leg slide between his thighs. Jack hummed and shifted, his grip just loose enough so that Ianto could slip away without waking him.

Ianto considered running. They'd never fallen asleep together. All the intimate parts of a relationship were still new to them, and mostly unexplored. They were barely to the point of holding hands across a table in a crowded restaurant. As much as he wanted their relationship to reach this level of closeness, he wasn't ready to have it, yet. He didn't feel hung over, so he couldn't have drank that much last night.

Ianto fumbled in the dark, searching for a watch or mobile to let him know how long he'd been down here. He didn't want to be here when Martha and the others came back. It felt wrong.

"What time is it?" Jack murmured, the movement of his lips tickling Ianto's chest.

"Don't know," Ianto answered. He gave up searching for a clock and put his arms around Jack, patting Jack's shoulder awkwardly. "Don't remember falling asleep here."

"You didn't. You passed out after the third orgasm," Jack said, his thigh pressing teasingly against Ianto's hip. "Lightweight."

The vague memory flashed back and Ianto chuckled. He remembered a pleasure so intense that he couldn't breathe. "It was an intense moment," he commented dryly.

"Lightweight," Jack teased again, shifting his weight to his elbows and kissing lightly over Ianto's cheek and lips. Jack's kisses felt different than anything Ianto had ever known. The lightest touch of skin on skin left Ianto tingling. Ianto plunged his tongue into Jack's mouth, forcing a deeper kiss, then he wrestled his way on top of Jack. Jack laughed, enjoying the game, smiling eagerly when Ianto straddled his hips. They were both completely naked under the sheets, and Ianto had a vague memory of his pants getting ripped because he hadn't wanted to take them off at first. He tried to remember if he had a clean suit in his locker, or if he'd already used that one.

"Didn't mean to crowd your bed," Ianto said distractedly, looking for a way out of the bed. He felt trapped here, and the only light came from the opening in the ceiling that led back to Jack's office. As exposed as he felt in the office, in here, it was too much like a coffin. He'd always categorically refused it for sex, and he didn't like it much for sleeping either.

"I was glad for the company," Jack said, his hands running up and down Ianto's thighs.

Ianto looked at Jack, surprised, and Jack looked back, smiling suavely. Jack was never shy about expressing sexual needs, but expressing intimacy was new. Climbing out of the alcove, Ianto circled Jack's office, finding his phone and checking the time.

"Is it morning?" Jack asked, poking his head out of the alcove, folding his arms on the lip, and resting his chin on his hands.

"Just after 4am," Ianto answered, gathering his clothes. This was most certainly the suit from his locker, and the pants were split along the inseam. The clothes he'd exchanged these for had been stained with Owen's blood.

"I should get home and change," Ianto said quietly, sitting on the floor next to Jack, letting his feet dangle over the lip into the alcove. He held his clothes in his lap, wishing there were a way to communicate without talking and dredging up painful topics... like the fact that they were just waiting for Owen to die again.

"Yeah," Jack agreed, his voice hoarse, his hand resting on top of Ianto's. Ianto turned his hand and laced his fingers with Jack's.

"I'll come right back," Ianto promised. "If you want me to. If you..."

The more he talked, the worse Jack looked. He held Jack's hand in silence, not wanting to leave his friend in pain. After a few minutes, Jack retracted his hand and dropped back into his sleep alcove, lying sprawled on his bed, staring up. He closed his watery eyes and chivalrously pretended to sleep, so Ianto wouldn't feel guilty about leaving.

Damning it all, Ianto abandoned his clothes, and slipped back into the bed. He had a sewing kit somewhere, and he could duck out later. Jack peeked one eye open, then rolled onto his side, letting Ianto spoon him. If felt warm and peaceful when their two bodies molded to fit on the small bed. Ianto's hand moved in slow, steady strokes over Jack's heart, tracing the sadness he felt there.

"Why Owen? Why couldn't he have shot me?" Jack asked, haunted by the memory. "I didn't want to let go of Martha, but I could have jumped in front."

"You've died enough for one year," Ianto said, hugging Jack tightly.

"I could have died once more... for Owen," Jack said. He shuddered and fell silent. Using the glove, forcing Owen to come back, Jack had cursed Owen with more deaths than he deserved. Ianto hoped that when his time came, Jack would let him go. Not without a fight, just without alien technology. It wasn't eternity that Jack was cursed with; it was all the little endings in between.

"You can talk if you want to," Ianto offered, keeping his hand moving over Jack's skin.

"It's hard," Jack said.

"I'll listen."

"No, I mean..." Jack laughed and rolled over, pressing his groin to Ianto's. "You're naked, and I keep picturing you in a little, red cap, and I can't brood properly with you distracting me like this."

Ianto rolled his eyes and sighed. He didn't have the energy for more sex, but he also couldn't fight the tingling in his body when Jack looked at him that way. Jack kissed Ianto's neck and chest and Ianto started feeling heat pooling in his belly. He didn't want to do this in Jack's bed, but the more Jack kissed, the less Ianto cared.

Like he could read Ianto's mind, Jack tugged Ianto's hand, and guided him out of the sleep alcove. They sat on the floor of Jack's office kissing, but both of them were too exhausted to try anything creative. After a few minutes, they paused and rested cheek to cheek, hands joined and resting on the floor between their hips.

"The floor is cold," Ianto said finally. He didn't move.

"I'd say put your pants on, but if I remember the placement of that rip correctly, it won't help you," Jack chuckled, giving Ianto's backside a playful smack. "How about this? You go home, shower, change, and think of me the entire time. And when you come back, maybe you could also bring that uniform... for a rainy day.

"Maybe I could," Ianto agreed, getting turned on by the thought.

"Little, red cap. Nice, clean-" Jack took Ianto's hand, but choked on the word gloves. Their fingers intertwined, grief warring with desire.

Ianto cradled Jack's chin and kissed passionately. "Let me surprise you," Ianto suggested. "But then, you have to surprise me, too."

"I have some ideas," Jack murmured, his lips wandering over Ianto's skin.

Ianto smiled devilishly and Jack snickered naughtily. They could do a lot of things with a little, red cap.


End file.
